I had the pleasure of speaking with “The Fairy Gutmother” and was blown away by how much I learned about gut health.You can also hear her fascinating story on “The Dr. Oz Show” on Monday, April 30th.

“I went off all my medications and used food as medicine to heal.” -Carley Smith, “The Fairy GutMother”

Carley Smith, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Certified GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) Practitioner is a gut health expert, but she hasn’t always been this interested in gut health. “If you would have told me five years ago that I could be this excited about gut health today, I would have never believed you,” chuckles Smith, “but focusing on my gut health has changed my life.”

It all began in 2013 when Smith was having some serious health complications affecting her endocrine system, hormones and female organs; including abnormal bleeding that lasted for four months. “My health got so bad, I was even starting to lose cognitive function, like one day, I was driving home and forgot where I lived. It was scary,” recalls Smith.

Eventually Smith was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2014. After many doctor’s visits and prescriptions for various medications, Smith wasn’t seeing progress. “It got to the point where I felt like I was taking medications for my medications. I knew I wanted something to change so I started doing some research and found the GAPS Diet. I learned that 80% of the immune system is in the gut. I was shocked. I started changing the way I ate and almost immediately started feeling better.”

“I went off all my medications and used food as medicine to heal,” says Smith, “I became so empowered with my healing and progress in my health, just after being on the GAPS diet for a few weeks that I changed my career, and I went back to school and became a nutritional therapist,” says Smith.

More from my interview with “The Fairy Gutmother,” Carley Smith:

“It all comes back to the gut.”

What is the gut?

Our gut has a balance of good and bad bacteria and fungi; if that bacteria gets out of balance (chronic stress, sedentary lifestyle, processed foods, medications, antibiotics, artificial sugars, unhealthy diet, etc.) then our health can suffer.

Why be concerned with gut health?

Nearly 80 percent of the immune system is located in the gut, which is why any alterations in bacterial balance can lead to various health conditions. If we can heal our gut, we can help boost our immune system and help fight off whatever ailments we have going on.

How can we have a healthy gut?

I always tell people gut health is more than a diet, it’s a lifestyle. New research is showing chronic stress can be equally, if not more damaging on gut health than junk food. Exercising and having a healthy mind-body connection, such as practicing meditation and certain yoga poses, can also support a healthy gut.

What does a gut-healthy diet look like?

I always encourage my clients to eat high-quality, nutrient-dense foods. A diet high in fiber from good quality grains and greens, good quality fats, coconut oil, avocado and clean meats will help support a healthy gut. Prebiotics -essentially what probiotics (or healthy gut flora) thrives on- and probiotics are also very important to include in your diet.

Can bone broth really support gut health?

Absolutely. Bone broth helps to heal the gut lining, reduce inflammation, replenish a lot of nutrients, and it also helps with metabolism and detoxification. You can blend bone broth with soups, cook with it or even add it to your oatmeal, hot chocolate, apple cider, I like to challenge clients to be creative with bone broth because it has so many great gut healing properties.

Where should people begin?

The Fairy Gutmother has a 70/30 Plan, an easy way for anyone to transition into eating healthier. I really like the quote, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail,” so I really emphasize meal prepping throughout the week. The 70/30 Plan is a sustainable approach to eating healthy: 70% of the time eating eating healthy with an emphasis on gut health.

With spring upon us, it’s the perfect time to enjoy fresh vegetables for gut health.Focus on spring cleaning from the inside out. Go to FairyGutMother.com to get tons of gut-healthy recipes, snack and meal ideas- even sign up for a wellness retreat or workshop. Carley Smith also works one-on-one with clients to help restore their health, mainly using food as medicine with an emphasis on gut health.

Lemon Chicken Bone Broth

Fairy Gutmother’s Lemon Chicken Bone Broth

“This is my most favorite bone broth to make because it is so light and versatile, it tastes great plain but also is wonderful as a base in making other soups or marinades,” says Smith, “I always tell people that are interested in making bone broth to start out with chicken broth as I feel it is the most gentle and easily tolerated broth. Plus, I think there is something so nourishing about a chicken broth, it warms the soul from the inside out so you almost instantly feel the healing benefits. I love adding a little lemon to the broth as well because I think it makes it lighter and more flavorful, making it also easier to sip on throughout the day.”

Ingredients

1 Free-Range, organic Chicken

1/2 Lemon

1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest

Instructions

Place the chicken in a slow cooker and cover with sliced lemons and lemon zest. Add filtered water until it reaches about 2 inches from top of slow cooker

Set slow cooker on low for 24 hours After about 4 hours, the chicken should be cooked (depending on slow cooker). Once chicken is cooked, take chicken out and set aside to cool.

Peel chicken off the bone and set meat aside. Return bones and skin to slow cooker and let it cook for the remaining time

After 24 hours, strain the broth into glass storage containers or serve immediately. You can also add sea salt to taste or any other herbs and spices you’d like.

Since many readers showed interest in last week’s topic, “cognitive reframing,” let’s dive a little deeper into the science supporting this psychological technique and introduce you to “conscious storytelling.”

To summarize, last week I told a story of how my grandparents used cognitive reframing to gracefully forgive the drunken driver who killed their 20 year old son, Peter. With God’s grace, and feeling Peter’s presence, my grandparents were able to reframe the horrible event as a tragic accident that their own children could have been capable of causing. Armed with this new perspective, my grandparents wrote to the boy, “Our prayers are with you. Don’t let this unfortunate accident overwhelm you. Trust in God. We love you.” Instead of carrying hatred in their hearts, my grandparents were able to find compassion, even love, for the boy- knowing his life was also forever changed.

Simply put, “cognitive reframing” is consciously reframing a difficult event into something with a silver lining. ie: I didn’t get the job, but that must mean there is another job opportunity that will be better for me.

“In the last few decades, psychology has started to seriously study the effects of story on the human mind, and they have found, unsurprisingly, that our attitudes, hopes and fears, and our values are strongly shaped by story,” explains Paula Wood in an articled titled, “Change Your Stories, Change Your Reality.” As seen in brain scans, our brains really can’t detect fact from fiction, meaning your brain will believe what you tell it. Wood continues, “In fact, as seen in fMRI scans, stories are experienced almost exactly the same as lived experience. Gut-level instinctive response to hearing a story can drive changes to how we act in the physical world.”

The way we tell the story (not the experience itself) leads to our emotional reaction. Timothy Wilson, Ph.D., social psychologist, believes the key to personal transformation is story transformation. Stories stimulate the brain and even change how we act in life. See example:

Life Event: Susie sits behind two girls on the bus, they both start giggling when she sits down.

The story Susie tells herself: Those girls are laughing at me.

Susie’s emotional reaction to her story: Susie sits quietly the entire bus ride, wishing she was back at home and now is nervous about going to school.

It’s actually not Susie’s fault that her brain defaulted to think the worst. Research reveals that our brains are wired to detect unpleasant information faster than favorable information- it’s actually a survival technique. But now that we know this, we can thank our brain for it’s ability to detect high-risk situations and then we can intentionally focus on choosing to reframe.

There are many ways to teach cognitive therapy, or cognitive reframing, but I believe the easiest to understand- for adults and children- are the three C’s.

Catch it: Identify the thought that came before the emotion (Those girls are laughing at me.)

Check it: Reflect on how accurate and useful the thought is (Why would they be laughing at me? I didn’t do anything to cause them to laugh- it doesn’t feel good to think this way.)

Change it: Change the thought to a more accurate or helpful one as needed (They are friends, one probably told a funny story and they are laughing at it together.) Susie smiles at the next student on the bus and they take the seat next to Susie.

Kelsey Horton says in her article, “Seeking Healing through Conscious Storytelling, “Stories are the difference between “I am loved” and “There is nothing to live for.” In the retelling of our stories, we are capable of transforming our future.”

We are one story away from believing “I am unworthy” or “I am worthy.” Which version of the story will you chose to tell yourself today?

“April showers bring May flowers.” Rain is often symbolized as dark and dreary; but this classic rhyme reminds us that after the rain comes sunshine. “This too shall pass.” So we wait, endure the rainy season and our patience will eventually be rewarded with beautiful flowers come May.

Even though we understand that rain is necessary for flowers to bloom, we often shake our fists at a stormy sky. Surely we have all experienced “rainy” seasons in our own lives. Setbacks, disappointments, deaths, hindrances or feelings of unfairness may leave us cold, wet and defeated- doubting the sun will ever shine again.

But what if we could reframe our thoughts about our past setbacks or “failures?” There is a Chinese proverb: the traveler hopes for sunshine- the farmer hopes for rain. It’s all a matter of perspective.

My mom once heard, “Things do not happen to us, they happen for us.” What a beautiful way to reframe and accept life’s raindrops as blessings. One of my dad’s favorite songs is “Blessings,” by Laura Story, “What if trials of this life: the rain, the storms the hardest nights; are Your mercies in disguise.”

We cannot change what has already happened in our lives, but we do harness the power to change our perspective on life’s setbacks- big or small. Its called “cognitive reframing.” With cognitive reframing, you can change the way you look at something and consequently change how you experience it. Stuck in traffic after picking up your child from school? Instead of being annoyed with the extra wait, you could reframe with a positive mindset and view the extra time as an opportunity to have uninterrupted conversation with your child. The event didn’t change- you just changed your perception about the event. This cognitive reframing can be especially useful for wanting to release negative feelings from a past experience.

I believe I have shared this story before and would like to share it again, as it is a powerful example of how perspective and forgiveness can be life-altering. My uncle Peter was tragically killed by a drunk driver at the young age of 20. I can’t even imagine the grief and heart break my grandparents suffered with the loss of a child. The drunk driver was around the same age as Peter and unfortunately had taken the lives of two other college students that same night.

The morning after Pete’s death, my grandmother imagined what it would have been like if Pete was the drunk driver of the car who killed three students. She envisioned herself trying to console Pete and he recoiled from her attempt to comfort him, feeling unworthy of her love. Telling grandpa of this experience, they both decided to call the young driver and offer their compassion and forgiveness, knowing this was a tragic accident. Armed with this new perspective, my grandparents also asked the judge for leniency when it was time to sentence the young driver. With God’s grace and the experience of grandma’s vision, they understood it was a tragic mistake their own children could have made.

Just as rain is nature’s way of replenishing life and allowing flowers to bloom; how can you reframe your own “rainy” days?

Last week’s article identified the “the pause-button mentality,” coined by John Berardi, Ph.D., co-founder of Precision Nutrition. It goes a little something like this: “I’ll start exercising again after the kids get older, I’ll really get back into it when things slow down, I’ll start on Monday.”

Any of those sound familiar? Dr. Berardi believes “the pause-button mentality” is one of the surest ways to sabotage your health conscious efforts. If obstacles get in the way (which they surely will) we want to hit the “pause-button” on our healthy goals until we have the perfect timing to start over and “do it right.” Problem is: there is no perfect timing. Holidays, celebrations, injuries, working overtime, family, relationships, all these obstacles are part of real life. “There is never going to be a moment when things are magically easier,” says Dr. Berardi, “You can’t escape work, personal, and family demands. Nor can you escape the need for health and fitness in your life.”

That’s why willpower alone will not get you to where you want to be; but learning strategies and building skills to make healthy choices under real life scenarios will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

In last week’s article, we detailed Dr. Berardi’s first tip for overcoming the pause-button mentality. Below is a summary of Dr. Berardi’s first tip and then two more strategies quoted by Dr. Berardi.

Create and use your own “dial” method

Think of your health and fitness on a dial from 1-10.

What does a 10 look like?

What does a 1 look like?

When life gets hectic, Dr. Berardi suggests instead of pressing “pause,” just adjust the dial. For example: if you have a jam-packed week and can’t make it to the gym, don’t stop exercising completely, just dial down your efforts. Do a quick ten minute body-weight workout (push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, etc.) before you get in the shower or commit to taking the stairs, walking on your lunch break, five minute yoga before bed, just don’t hit “pause.”

2. Aim for a little bit better

An all-or-nothing approach usually doesn’t get us “all”. It usually gets us “nothing”.

You know what actually works? Small improvements done consistently over time work. If you feel like you are in a less than ideal situation- look around. Get creative. See if you can find some small — maybe minuscule — improvements. For example: traveling? Even fast food restaurants offer healthy choices. Don’t use traveling as an excuse to get the Big Mac and fries. Salad, grilled chicken, fruit and water are also on the menu.

3. Look ahead, strategize and plan

A simple way to do this is by answering two questions:

1What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?

2What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?

For some people, that might be a Sunday ritual where they prep food for the week so they won’t be scrambling for healthy meals on busy weeknights. For others, it might mean having a healthy meal-delivery service on speed dial.

This Easter weekend offers an opportunity to practice “dialing down” instead of pausing healthy habits. For example: limit to only a couple sweet treats instead of an entire Easter basket full, bundle up and go for a walk with your family after your Easter meal instead of sitting inside all day, bring a healthy dish to your gathering to guarantee a healthy option.

Just as Easter is a symbol of hope and new life, I hope these tips can give you a renewed perspective on healthy living. Happy Easter!

“I’ll eat healthier after things slow down at work,” or “I’ll begin exercising once the weather gets nicer.” These small excuses may seem harmless, but the truth is they could be jeopardizing your overall health. Unfortunately, this “all-or-nothing” approach (“I already screwed up my diet- I’ll just start again on Monday”) typically doesn’t result in “all.” It usually gives us… “nothing.”

“I refer to this as ‘the pause-button mentality;” says John Berardi, Ph.D., co-founder of Precision Nutrition. “Now, don’t get me wrong. I think it’s normal — even commendable — to want to do your best. To consider taking time to regroup and then resume (or start over) when life feels easier,” says Dr. Berardi, “At the same time, this completely natural and well-meaning impulse is one of the fastest, surest, most reliable ways to sabotage your plans for improved nutrition, health, and fitness.”

This may be why New Year’s Resolutions are so popular. Getting excited about the idea of starting January 1st may give some the green-light to splurge during the Holiday season, hitting “pause” on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. “But here’s the problem: The pause-button mentality only builds the skill of pausing,” explains Dr. Berardi. There is no “pause-button” for life- so it’s important to learn strategies on how to incorporate heath and fitness into your life- no matter how hectic it may seem.

Here is one of Dr. Berardi’s strategies that has tremendously helped me “dial up” my fitness. (Grab a pen and paper!)

Try the dial method.

Think of your fitness like a dial that goes from 1 – 10.

If you were to dial it up to “10”…

•What would your workouts look like?

•What would your nutrition look like?

•What other actions/habits would you practice in that scenario?

If you were to dial it down to “1”…

•What would your workouts look like?

•What would your nutrition look like?

•What other actions/habits would you practice in that scenario?

Giving thought to your life right now, where is your dial set?

Would you like to make any adjustments?

Could you move the dial up a channel, or even half a channel?

If so, what would that look like?

On the other hand…

Should you move the dial down a channel so you can stick with health and fitness even during a difficult time?

How the “dial-up” method has worked for me: In my twenties, I was able to exercise 60+ minutes a day, six days a week. Today? Not so much. I realized I had hit the “pause-button” on my own fitness after becoming a mom. But after reading Dr. Berardi’s “dial” method, I am giving myself permission to feel good beginning again at a 2-3 instead of trying to be at an unsustainable 10. After answering the above questions, I came up with a plan and know you can too. I realized I could use YouTube (free!) to complete a 20 minute yoga session during my son’s first nap. I’ve been committed to this plan for three weeks and I’m loving it. Is it a killer workout? No. Does it make me feel good? Yes. Is it better than nothing? Heck yes!

Stay tuned next week for two more strategies from Dr. Berardi: 2. Aim for a little better and 3. Anticipate, strategize and plan.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these healthy, festive dishes and learn how to be lucky like a leprechaun! Read on for Professor Richard Wiseman’s tips on luck and some St. Patrick Day trivia.

Shamrock Fried Egg

1 green bell pepper

4 eggs

Optional: 1 tablespoon butter (or preferred non-stick cooking spray)

Optional: Mrs. Dash seasoning or salt

Pick out a green pepper with four humps to resemble a lucky four leaf clover when you cut it. Slice green pepper into rings. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the pepper rings in the pan and flip once. Crack an egg inside each pepper ring. (Optional: season to taste with Mrs. Dash or salt.) Cover with lid and cook until the yolk reaches your desired doneness. Remove from pan, clean edges (some egg may spill over or under the edges while frying) and serve. (Photo and recipe: Christine/zestuous.com)

Here’s the perfect (green) option for a guilt-free dip to serve with your healthy and festive Veggie Irish Flag tray. Try smashing up an avocado and mixing it with protein packed Greek yogurt to achieve a nutrient-dense and delicious dip. You’ll still get that creamy texture without all the unhealthy fat that usual dips have.

Be a “Lucky” Leprechaun

Professor Richard Wiseman, author of “The Luck Factor: The Scientific Study of the Lucky Mind,” decided to search for the elusive luck factor by investigating the actual beliefs and experiences of lucky and unlucky people.

With a decade of research, Wiseman found that “lucky” people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles: “Lucky people are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good,” explains Wiseman.

Lucky people expect to be lucky. Wiseman found lucky people are optimistic and have higher expectations from life. “Lucky” people are confident about their future; when lucky people experience misfortune, their coping mechanisms are very different from “unlucky” people. Instead of dwelling on a bad experience, they try to find something positive on which to focus.

As part of an experiment, Wiseman created a “luck school”- where a group of lucky and unlucky volunteers (volunteers who identified as being consistently lucky or unlucky) spent a month carrying out exercises designed to help them think and behave like a lucky person. Wiseman said the results were dramatic- eighty percent of the participants claimed to be happier, more satisfied with their lives, and of course, luckier.

So how can you be luckier? Wiseman notes that there are three techniques that can help maximize good fortune. To summarize: learn to trust your intuition, try something new, and look on the bright side.

“The symbolism of the four-leaf clover may be everywhere, but a real one is actually a rarity,” says Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation President Stephen Prescott, M.D. So what are your chances of finding a four-leaf clover? About 1 in 10,000 clovers have four leaves instead of the usual three. “Saint Patrick was said to use the shamrock, the three-leaf clover, to teach about the Holy Trinity,” Prescott says, “Whereas the four-leaf version is supposed to stand for faith, hope, love and luck.”

Wishing you faith, hope, love and luck this St. Patrick’s Day!

]]>https://sistershealthclub.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/be-lucky-by-believing-you-are-lucky/feed/0thewellwomanpexels-photo-705310.jpegShamrock EggsCreating a Morning Ritualhttps://sistershealthclub.wordpress.com/2018/03/10/creating-a-morning-ritual/
https://sistershealthclub.wordpress.com/2018/03/10/creating-a-morning-ritual/#respondSat, 10 Mar 2018 03:33:19 +0000http://sistershealthclub.wordpress.com/?p=727“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”

-John C. Maxwell, bestselling author, coach and speaker

Last week’s article highlighted the many health benefits of having a morning exercise routine: like jumpstarting metabolism, burning more fat and boosting physical and mental energy.

Spring represents new growth. Just as freshly planted Spring seeds require care and attention to establish healthy roots, the same is true when you want to experience growth in specific areas in your life. Healthy roots are the foundation for growth- both in your garden and for personal development. Just like a well-maintained garden, care and attention is required to experience growth in your relationships, health, career and spiritual life.

This week, lets discuss tips on how to establish a well-rounded morning ritual that will be the springboard for new life…or new habits

Add meaning. There is no “perfect” morning routine. What may work for one person may not work for another. There is, however, research to back up the physical and mental health benefits of certain morning rituals like journaling, meditation, visualization exercises, physical exercise, having a yoga practice, goal-setting, praying, creating affirmations and stretching, just to name a few.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to boost mood is backed by science. Research by Robert Emmons, psychologist and author of “Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier,” explains that simply keeping a gratitude journal (writing down things/people you are grateful for) can significantly increase well-being and life satisfaction.

Habit Stacking. I love this concept! Instead of trying to add a lot of new habits at once, identify a habit you already have (like brushing your teeth) and then attach one new thing to that habit. For example: do ten squats before you brush your teeth, have a glass of water while you read the newspaper, take your vitamins when you eat breakfast, say three gratitudes in your head when you let your dog out. Pretty soon you will have a NEW habit attached to your old habit.

Repetition is key. If you miss a morning, no sweat! Try again tomorrow. At first it may seem overwhelming to add MORE things to your already busy morning. But you will be pleasantly surprised to find yourself LESS stressed and feel LESS rushed in the morning after you create and sustain a meaningful morning ritual. How can you help your children establish a morning routine? No matter how hectic our morning was, my mom would always say prayers with us on our way to school. She gave each child an opportunity to say any special intentions for the day or prayers for friends, family members, etc. As I look back, I realize how grounding that simple prayer was and hope to continue the tradition with my children.

Make it special. Adding a little something extra special in the morning can set a positive tone for the rest of the day. For example, I just splurged on an awesome facial serum to go under my everyday lotion and I really love putting it on every morning as a part of my self-care routine. Other ideas: Buy a daily inspirational book (I highly recommend “The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have” by Mark Nepo), get a new yoga mat for morning exercise, every once in a while splurge on gourmet coffee grounds or tea, buy a new pen or new notebook reserved for journaling in the mornings (www.fiveminutejournal.com), begin the day with a new perfume or cologne, serve breakfast on your favorite China… get creative!

Sixteen. Which is fun to think about. But if you aren’t as excited about getting in your summer clothes, just think- if you get serious and begin eating healthier and exercising today, you could release one pound a week from your frame. Begin today and you will be 16 pounds lighter in the summer sun.

There are countless ways you can be healthier, in this article we are going to focus on exercising. More specifically, the benefits of exercising in the morning.

Olympic swimmer and mother of two, Dana Vollmer, loves exercising in the morning, “I obviously exercise for sport, but it also energizes me for the rest of my day,” Vollmer says, “It takes time to make it a habit but it can really change your life once you start doing it.”

Benefits of exercising in the morning:

Morning exercise becomes a habit. Before I co-owned a small health club for four years, I had worked at six different gyms. And even though all these fitness centers were different with varying clientele, the same theme rang true: the regulars who rarely (if ever) missed a workout were always the early birds. They were the ones in the parking lot waiting for me to open the gym doors, and they were unstoppable. Unfortunately, the attendance at my night classes was a different story. “Billy had a ball game,” or “I couldn’t get out of work,” or “I ended up meeting up with co-workers for a drink.” Of course you don’t want to miss your son’s ball game, so one way to be fully present at the game is by scheduling your workout first thing in the morning.

Jumpstart your metabolism. “Exercise in the morning helps to get your metabolism going, burning more calories throughout the day,” says David Geier, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist in Charleston, SC. Getting a sweat session in first thing in the morning will inspire you to keep moving throughout the rest of your day. Bringham Young University researchers found that people who work out in the morning end up being more active in general.

You’ll burn more fat. A 2013 British Journal of Nutrition study found exercising on an empty stomach can burn as much as 20 percent more fat than when a meal is eaten first.

Sleep better at night. The National Sleep Foundation says working out in the morning leads to deeper, longer and higher-quality sleep when you hit the pillow.

Boost your physical and mental energy. “The benefits of exercising in the morning include feeling accomplished and good about yourself because you were actually able to make this happen,” says Yvonne Thomas, PhD, a Los Angeles–based psychologist who specializes in self-esteem. “Other benefits of exercising in the morning are that you can be more dynamic—physically, cognitively, and emotionally.” Thomas notes that by starting the day with exercise, you’re more focused and balanced. “Exercising in the beginning of the day can help decrease some negative feelings and thoughts that can get in your way as the day goes on, making you feel less depressed, anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, sad, or angry.”

Regardless of the time of day, the real victory is just getting a workout done- day or night. The Surgeon General recommends 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week for heart health. Remember- sixteen weeks before summer. You got this.

]]>https://sistershealthclub.wordpress.com/2018/03/03/benefits-of-morning-exercise/feed/0thewellwomanMorning ExerciseDiscovering the Best Version of Yourselfhttps://sistershealthclub.wordpress.com/2018/02/24/discovering-the-best-version-of-yourself/
https://sistershealthclub.wordpress.com/2018/02/24/discovering-the-best-version-of-yourself/#respondSat, 24 Feb 2018 03:26:54 +0000http://sistershealthclub.wordpress.com/?p=721

My parents got me hooked on a daily reflection for Lent- a two minute video posted by Matthew Kelly, motivational speaker, author, business consultant and founder of Floyd Consulting and Dynamic Catholic.

I found the message I received on Tuesday to be subtle, yet extremely powerful. Kelly artfully explained the difference in “becoming” the best-version-of-yourself versus “discovering” the best-version-of-yourself.

The difference is only one word: become vs. discover; but it makes all the difference in the approach.

When you think about striving to “become” the best-version-of-yourself, you may begin to think about who you want to emulate, or how you can attain the qualities you admire in others. It’s almost like you are looking outside yourself for direction.

On the other hand, to “discover” the best-version-of-yourself is to dig deep within oneself to uncover your true potential, your unique strengths, gifts and talents. A synonym of discover is “to bring to light.”

Matthew Kelly explains, “As Christians, we see it as a discovery. We see it as, OK, God has already placed all this stuff within us. He’s created us, now he wants us to discover who we truly are. He wants us to discover that best-version-of-ourselves.”

Many people believe that when they lose 15 pounds or when they finally get that raise they will be living life as their “best self” and will finally be happy. Writer Emily Esfahani Smith ironically found that chasing happiness led people to feel unhappy. “Our culture is obsessed with happiness, but what if there’s a more fulfilling path? Happiness comes and goes, but having meaning in life — serving something beyond yourself and developing the best within you — gives you something to hold onto.”

Smith spent five years interviewing hundreds of people and reading through thousands of pages of psychology, neuroscience and philosophy. In the end, she discovered four pillars of a meaningful life: belonging, purpose, transcendence and the fourth pillar is storytelling: the story you tell yourself about yourself. “Creating a narrative from the events of your life brings clarity. It helps you understand how you became you,” explains Smith, “But we don’t always realize that we’re the authors of our stories and can change the way we’re telling them. Your life isn’t just a list of events. You can edit, interpret and retell your story, even as you’re constrained by the facts.”

Smith gives an example in her TedTalk: “I met a young man named Emeka, who’d been paralyzed playing football. After his injury, Emeka told himself, “My life was great playing football, but now look at me.” People who tell stories like this —”My life was good. Now it’s bad.” — tend to be more anxious and depressed. And that was Emeka for a while. But with time, he started to weave a different story. His new story was, “Before my injury, my life was purposeless. I partied a lot and was a pretty selfish guy. But my injury made me realize I could be a better man.” That edit to his story changed Emeka’s life. After telling the new story to himself, Emeka started mentoring kids, and he discovered what his purpose was: serving others. The psychologist Dan McAdams calls this a “redemptive story,” where the bad is redeemed by the good. People leading meaningful lives, he’s found, tend to tell stories about their lives defined by redemption, growth and love.”

It’s a delicate line between accepting yourself as you are while doing the work to discover the person you know you are capable of being. The science behind positive psychology says it’s essential to focus on what’s positive and possible instead of our perceived weaknesses and shortcomings.

What story about yourself can you begin to retell; or what qualities/strengths do you already possess that you can work on bringing to the light?

It’s estimated that some 15 million people suffer from a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD.

There is a full spectrum of SAD symptoms, from slight to life altering. SAD is most common in young adult women, although it can affect men or women of any age. Symptoms may include low energy, carb cravings, weight gain and low libido. SAD is a form of depression, which may require medical attention. Symptoms of depression could include a persistent and excessive feeling of sadness, hopelessness or guilt; with physical symptoms such as mood changes, headaches, lethargy and/or sleeping problems. See your physician if you have been struggling with any of these symptoms.

“Everyone’s affected differently by SAD,” says Sue Pavlovich of the Seasonal Affective Disorder Association (SADA), “What works for one person won’t work for another, but there’s usually something that will help, so don’t give up if the first remedy you try doesn’t work. Just keep trying.”

Here are some tips to improve well-being during winter months:

Keep active. Research has shown that a daily one-hour walk in the middle of the day could be as helpful as light treatment for coping with the winter blues. Don’t have an hour? Even 10 minutes around the block or around your office building will help increase mood.

Try a winter sport! Bundle up and take advantage of the unique sports the winter season has to offer. Try cross-country skiing, sledding, skiing or ice skating.

Eat healthy. It can be easy to give in to overeating comfort food like carbohydrates when it’s cold outside, but having a healthy diet loaded with fruits, veggies and lean meats will boost your mood and give you more energy.

See the light. If you’re unable to get outside during the day, you may be interested in using light therapy to help compensate for a lack of natural sunlight. “A lack of sunlight means our brains produce less serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects our mood,” says William Weggel, a psychiatrist at Mayo Clinic. Light therapy has been shown to be effective in up to 85 percent of diagnosed cases. The best time for light therapy is early in the morning.

Keep busy. Keeping your mind active with a new interest seems to ward off symptoms of SAD, says Pavlovich. “It could be anything, such as playing bridge, singing, knitting, joining a gym, keeping a journal, or writing a blog. The important thing is that you have something to look forward to and concentrate on.” kirkwood.edu/ce has a variety of interesting and fun classes to try for a very reasonable price.

Avoid being D-prived. Supplementing with vitamin D, also known as the “sunshine vitamin,” may help boost mood, the immune system and heart health. Vitamin D specialist Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson suggests taking between 1,000 and 2,000 IU daily to help even out winter moods. Vitamin D can be found at most drugstores.

Change your thoughts. Our minds are powerful. Wallowing under the covers and telling yourself, “I hate winter, I’m never going to get through this,” will make the cold days drag on. Try changing your attitude, suggests Dr. Jeffrey Rossman: “Winter is a challenge, and I become stronger by meeting the challenge. I know what to do to feel better.”

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